Customer Relations

News about Customer Relations, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 28, 2015

Trend in which patrons of stores as varied as gas stations and pharmacies are referred to as guests rather than customers appears to have cropped up organically, rather than due to any customer service study that indicated change would be beneficial; some analysts have suggested original source might be Disney, and way it refers to visitors of Disneyland. MORE

Mar. 15, 2015

David Segal The Haggler column describes trying to get answer from Optum health services company, part of UnitedHealth Group, about why it refused to reimburse client, and why its claims process is so opaque; notes that mentioning Optum chief executive Larry Renfro did not lead to any better information about company's issues with resolving disputes with clients. MORE

Mar. 1, 2015

David Segal The Haggler column relates confrontation with Ideal Image, national chain of laser treatment centers, over allegations that it inflated the cost to customers by including hidden charges for skin products that customers did not request; notes obfuscation by company's president Bruce Fabel. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

David Segal The Haggler column questions wisdom of customer service departments of companies preferring to use electronic communication instead of telephone to handle customers; relates experience of reader who had issues with account with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, and off-putting way spokespeople and customer service behaved. MORE

Feb. 1, 2015

David Segal The Haggler column relates case in which a customer's engagement ring was inexplicably held for months after it was taken for repair at jewelery chain owned by Sterling Jewelers Inc. MORE

Jan. 31, 2015

More companies that provide services, such as Airbnb and Uber, are enabling functions that allow providers to review customers, similar to how consumers are evaluated based on credit reports; practice is meant to improve overall behavior and etiquette, but it has raised concerns about how ratings are determined and who has access to data. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Small businesses now have access to capabilities once only available to large businesses due to enhanced program features that smartphones and loyalty apps have begun offering; businesses can use these apps to evaluate efficacy of sales and other practices in boosting customer loyalty. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about subway riders giving panhandler money, cashing check remitted as part of automobile defect class-action settlement and situations where cashier and customer both do not remember how much cash has been paid. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

David Segal The Haggler column updates readers on dispute between a monk and United Airlines; describes resolution obtained for customer who received damaged item from Wayfair, online furniture store, as well as two extra large pieces of furniture, which company refused to take back. MORE

Jan. 4, 2015

David Segal The Haggler column relates resolution of ticketing dispute between United Airlines and a group of monks from the New Mexican desert. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column describes how airlines like United and Delta are making it more difficult for frequent fliers to achieve higher status levels at year's end by taking cheap flights to run up mileage; notes that push is being made to focus on customers who produce most revenue. MORE

Dec. 21, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column describes resolution of case in which a UPS customer was denied both payment and a refund after paying $1,868 in insurance to ship a sculpture that was significantly damaged in transit. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column recounts effort to help consumer who was ticketed by a Platinum Parking LLC after helping a fellow motorist put antifreeze in her car; notes that even after hearing details of case, company remained skeptical of the motorist's good intentions. MORE

Dec. 6, 2014

Joe Nocera Op-Ed column describes experience of Herta Kriegner, Austrian graphic designer whose company uber has begun receiving calls intended for app-based car service company Uber, which does not publish its phone number; says calls have illuminated shortcomings in Uber's customer service model and, in particular, fact that online company does not talk to its customers or drivers. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

Hotel, restaurant and car service companies are increasingly using sophisticated rating systems that identify their best, and worst, customers; systems allow businesses to concentrate on their best patrons. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column describes helping a bereaved mother negotiate drawn-out process with Bank of America as she tried to direct her deceased son's accounts to a scholarship fund. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column examines lawsuit filed by group of retirement funds against Conn's, Texas appliance chain that has refused to contact him in reference to previous columns; notes that suit contends Conn's misrepresented its strategy in lead-up to share price plunge. MORE

Oct. 16, 2014

You're the Boss blog; Tom Kern, chief executive of Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Assn, sought to turn around resort town's Net Promoter Score by giving the whole town customer-service training; Kern had to first overcome resistance of business owners who were not convinced they needed help. MORE

Oct. 12, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column relates outcome of billing dispute with Comcast, noting rare instance in which company made a concerted effort to address a systemic problem; observes that company is installing a new customer service system, called Einstein, that is aimed at reducing replication of errors. MORE

Sep. 28, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column describes resolution of case in which 1-800-Flowers delivered a horribly garbled note along with flowers to a reader's grandmother's funeral. MORE

Sep. 14, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column examines dubious credit practices at Conn's, Texas-based chain that sells appliances and furniture. MORE

Aug. 31, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column; attempts to secure refund for hair-removal treatment plan from Ideal Image Development Inc prove difficult, but ultimately return of $3,000 is achieved, along with apology. MORE

Aug. 17, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column; AT&T reluctantly apologizes to a doctor after consistently over-billing him and forcing him to spend countless hours on the phone correcting the errors. MORE

Aug. 3, 2014

David Segal The Haggler; multiple sclerosis patient seeking an experimental stem cell treatment is reimbursed with interest by Presbyterian Health Plan for his almost $200,000 in medical expenses; patient nudged right people, rallied others to his side, and wrote measured, reasoned emails that stuck to facts. MORE

Jul. 20, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column; Haggler sought readers’ help in getting an answer from Conn’s, appliance store chain based near Houston, and many obliged; still, the company did not budge. MORE

Jul. 6, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column notes that, in seeking an answer to a customer’s complaint, Haggler is getting the cold shoulder from electronics and appliance chain Conn's. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column describes case in which a Verizon customer faces an annual headache getting her phone and Internet service reconnected at her summer home on Martha's Vineyard. MORE

May. 25, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column relates resolution of cases involving American Express customer who was charged exorbitant fees to exchange money at a Paris airport; investigates whether company was using an algorithm to answer online customer service questions. MORE

May. 11, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column describes reappearance of his passport two years after it was misplaced by the United Parcel Service; holds that while UPS has made enormous strides in using technology to streamline delivery speed, its fail-safe system of package tracking needs improvement. MORE

Apr. 27, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column describes resolution of case in which an investor used E*Trade's interactive voice response system to sell a few shares in his company, accidentally resulting in the sale of all his shares. MORE

Apr. 20, 2014

General Mills announces in stunning about-face that it is withdrawing its controversial plans to make consumers give up their right to sue it; company has change of heart after consumers had negative reaction to its new arbitration rules. MORE

Apr. 13, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column relates helping customer after Best Buy failed to resolve problems stemming from a cracked laptop screen. MORE

Mar. 2, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column; smartphone buyer reports an assortment of problems under his pay-as-you-go plan, and asks the Haggler for help in getting a service-charge refund. MORE

Mar. 1, 2014

Ron Lieber Your Money column on airline frequent-flier programs; says rules are tightening further, with Delta Air Lines moving to system that awards miles based on how much passenger pays for a ticket, not number of miles flown, becoming first of major airlines in United States to do so. MORE

Jan. 21, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column says listening to a tiny snippet of Rhapsody in Blue for hours on United Airlines’ customer service line while being put on hold is enough to drive a passenger to a travel agent. MORE

Jan. 19, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column relates resolutions of customer service problems with Time Warner Cable and AT&T. MORE

Jan. 17, 2014

Neiman Marcus discloses that it has only now contained cyberattack that began as far back as July 2013, saying it did not learn that customer information had been stolen until mid-December; apologizes to customers whose cards have been used fraudulently. MORE

Jan. 14, 2014

More business travelers are relying on hotel reviews by guests to make booking decisions; hotel companies themselves are posting guest reviews and ratings on their websites, both good and bad. MORE

Jan. 14, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column discusses chaotic disruption of business air travel after the new year; says with a flight network under constant strain, weather-related chaos and diminishing access to perks, travelers require sharp coping strategies. MORE

Jan. 11, 2014

Experts in both corporate security and damage control say Target must contine to be as transparent as possible in order to regain trust after data breach that raises serious questions about security; company says breach was far worse than previously disclosed. MORE

Jan. 5, 2014

Adam Davidson It's the Economy column highlights research by business Prof Zeynep Ton showing that big-box retailers who increase their work force, and pay them and treat them better, will often yield happier customers, more engaged workers and larger corporate profits. MORE

Dec. 26, 2013

United Parcel Service fails to meet Christmas gift delivery deadlines across the country in the face of bad weather and an unexpectedly large surge in demand from online shopping; apologizes and says only small percentage of parcels were delayed; some customers complain on social media. MORE

Dec. 21, 2013

Target, scrambling to tamp down consumer outrage over theft of credit and debit card data, announces that it will offer a 10 percent discount at its stores during final shopping weekend of the holiday season. MORE

Nov. 28, 2013

Some small businesses, to help them sell products, are finding it useful to first sell themselves through interaction with their customers. MORE

Nov. 2, 2013

Russian companies are carrying out elaborate training to produce a new generation of service employees who are customer-oriented; Russian airline Aeroflot has been at forefront of this broad and transformative trend brought about by rising demands of middle-class consumers. MORE

Oct. 27, 2013

Phyllis Korkki Applied Science column; business researchers find that sometimes a company can build excitement for a product or service by keeping consumers waiting; many companies unintentionally antagonize customers seeking help by forcing them to wait, leading to ill will and lost sales across many industries. MORE

Oct. 13, 2013

Natasha Singer Technophoria column; new techniques in computational voice analysis are promising to help machines identify emotions behind a person’s voice; developers are offering nascent software as deeper approach for call centers and other customer services that seek to read and respond to consumers' emotions in real time. MORE

Oct. 13, 2013

David Segal The Haggler column; transaction on eBay wends into confusing territory as a customer is compelled to ask PayPal to pursue a dispute with itself. MORE

Oct. 8, 2013

Hotels across country, as occupancy rebounds and room rates increase, are increasingly emphasizing personalized services that are not on list of amenities; goal is to win repeat customers, who stay at same hotel 15 to 20 times a year. MORE

Sep. 22, 2013

David Segal The Haggler column; Haggler ventures into Microsoft’s customer service network, and has an update on an Eagle Creek backpack that was pronounced dead, despite a lifetime warranty. MORE

To help General Motors adapt to young car buyers, researchers at MTV Scratch talked to thousands of people from the so-called “millennial” generation about their impressions of cars, technology and what makes them different from their parents’ generation. Watch a few of the research interviews that informed Scratch’s five-year strategic plan for Chevrolet.